True, I imprinted on the Uchida recordings, though there are others that I love too. And yes, those three have a lot to say on the subject—though you’ll note that I said “*as* powerful as anything” and not “*more* powerful than anything.” ;)
I am not as familiar with Schubert's sonatas. When taking music exams from the Royal Conservatory, the Sonatas of Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven were the syllabus selections for the Classical period. I think Schubert's Impromptus might have been options for the Romantic period. The Conservatory required five pieces, one each from the Baroque (usually a Bach Prelude & Fugue), Classical (always a Sonata), Romantic, Impressionist, and 20th century periods. Schubert is hard to categorize, though to me he sounds more Classical than Romantic, except in his songs.
I played Mozart and Haydn, as my limited handspan cannot handle the repeated rapid octave chords of Beethoven. Looking at the sheet music of Schubert's 19th Sonata, I wouldn't be able to handle it for the same reason, with the exception of the last movement, Allegro, which is surprisingly light and slightly comic, a delightful conclusion.
There are some rather modern sounding dissonances in the first movement of Sonata 20. The Andantino is moody, but in a less stormy way than Beethoven - in Uchida's performance, the mood sounded like the greyness of depression. Schubert differs from his Classical predecessors in the number of movements in his Sonatas. Perhaps another reason why his Sonatas weren't in the Conservatory syllabus - three movements were hard enough to memorize for the exam.
Yes, it’s interesting that these sonatas are in four movements. The first three Beethoven sonatas are in four movements, but he trimmed it down after that.
Schubert had difficulty getting much of his piano music published, probably largely because of those difficulties that you mention.
My personal favorite recording of Schubert is D850 by Paul Lewis. It’s on YouTube. The energy is almost paralyzing in its… I want to say portentousness…
Chopin, Liszt, and Scriabin would like to have a word with you. You can further tell a persons era by who they choose as an interpreter.
True, I imprinted on the Uchida recordings, though there are others that I love too. And yes, those three have a lot to say on the subject—though you’ll note that I said “*as* powerful as anything” and not “*more* powerful than anything.” ;)
Great recording selections, John. Uchida and Paul Lewis are my go-tos for Schubert.
Thanks, Michael. Yes, the Lewis is great too. Also, Pollini.
I love Uchida's interpretations.
I am having such a great time listening to these. Thanks for the reminder to dig into Schubert!
Glad you’re enjoying!
I am not as familiar with Schubert's sonatas. When taking music exams from the Royal Conservatory, the Sonatas of Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven were the syllabus selections for the Classical period. I think Schubert's Impromptus might have been options for the Romantic period. The Conservatory required five pieces, one each from the Baroque (usually a Bach Prelude & Fugue), Classical (always a Sonata), Romantic, Impressionist, and 20th century periods. Schubert is hard to categorize, though to me he sounds more Classical than Romantic, except in his songs.
I played Mozart and Haydn, as my limited handspan cannot handle the repeated rapid octave chords of Beethoven. Looking at the sheet music of Schubert's 19th Sonata, I wouldn't be able to handle it for the same reason, with the exception of the last movement, Allegro, which is surprisingly light and slightly comic, a delightful conclusion.
There are some rather modern sounding dissonances in the first movement of Sonata 20. The Andantino is moody, but in a less stormy way than Beethoven - in Uchida's performance, the mood sounded like the greyness of depression. Schubert differs from his Classical predecessors in the number of movements in his Sonatas. Perhaps another reason why his Sonatas weren't in the Conservatory syllabus - three movements were hard enough to memorize for the exam.
Yes, it’s interesting that these sonatas are in four movements. The first three Beethoven sonatas are in four movements, but he trimmed it down after that.
Schubert had difficulty getting much of his piano music published, probably largely because of those difficulties that you mention.
Oddly, and sadly, Schubert died just a year after Beethoven did.
Yes, he was already quite ill when Beethoven died.
Listening! Perfect for a rainy Sunday.
My personal favorite recording of Schubert is D850 by Paul Lewis. It’s on YouTube. The energy is almost paralyzing in its… I want to say portentousness…
I love the Lewis recording too! Haven't listened in a while, so I'll have to go back to it.
https://youtu.be/-sQSypyK15k?si=qB4O37EpRRt0c26j